The Range: The Tucson Weekly's Daily Dispatch

Semi-Nude Tucson PETA Activist Bares for the Naked Truth (NSFW)

PETA activists staged an alluring protest in the heart of downtown Tucson earlier this afternoon. The animal rights organization rounded up some local members to encourage Tucsonans to stop eating meat and “Go Vegan” in the most visually attractive way possible. What’s the best way to get people to stop eating animal products?

Young female protesters were holding signs that read "Try to Relate to Who's on the Plate" and "Animals Have the Same Parts: GO VEGAN" on the corner of West Congress street and North Stone Avenue. The animal rights activist stood in front of Michelle Rios, while she laid on the ground topless, curled up next to a bed of salad on a giant white plate with an over-sized knife and fork. The blonde woman uses her arms to to shield her breasts and nipples that were cover with band aids. There was barbecue sauce splattered on her pale skin and almost see through underwear. Her shivering legs were tucked against her bare stomach. She closed her eyes and tried to lay still while pedestrians and drivers were taking pictures and staring at her semi-nude body in broad daylight.

PETA Campaigner Matt Bruce, 31, came down from Los Angeles to stage this peaceful protest. "This is part of a national PETA campaign. We are hitting cities all over the country during this season of giving to encourage people to give animals a chance and leave them off their plates," Bruce said.

"Factory pigs have their teeth, tails and testicals removed without pain killers," Bruce said right before a rear end collision occurred behind us. "Accidents happen, but not as often as you think," Bruce chuckles. Bruce said once a driver jumped a curb and almost hit an exhibit.

Bruce says you can save up to 100 animals a year by going vegan. "The most effective thing anyone can do to help animals is simply stop eating them," Bruce said. "The kind of abuse that happens in the dairy industry is the same that we find in the meat and egg industry." If people want to save animals, help themselves, improve their health and better the environment."

"It's never been easier to leave animals off your plate," Bruce said. "Vegan products can be found in any major grocery store." We found this was a very eye catching and provocative display. It's a good way to get people that normally wouldn't stop and talk to us. The exhibit displays that animals feel pain and terror just like we do."

"Our brave volunteers chose to speak up for animals this way. She feels that bring attention this way is very important because billions of animals are slaughtered on factory farms. Cows are branded, castrated without with out pain killers, they dragged kicking and screaming to slaughter, their horns are ripped from their skulls and their throats are cut off while they are fully conscious and able to feel pain. Facts and figures just don't work for everybody," Bruce said.

Priscilla Serna is a 22 year old University of Arizona student from Los Angeles. Serna went vegetarian eight years ago because she saw a documentary called "Meet your Meat." She's getting a double major in environmental studies and journalism.

The activist were handing out propaganda that featured celebrities like Paul McCartney, former President Bill Clinton (the same former President that has a dished named after him at Mi Nidito) and Natalie Portman talking about how and why they are vegan and or vegetarian. There are some vegetarians that aren't fans of this type of extreme protesting. I interviewed Gabrielle Gordon before she went to Brugers Bagels for lunch. Gordon, 23, has been a vegetarian since she was five years old. Gordon is from Illinois and every winter her neighbors hunting skills encouraged her diet change. "One day I saw my neighbors drag a dead deer through the snow and hang it on their swing set. It was really scaring."

"I think this is incredible stupid," Gordon said. "People are welcomed to eat whatever they want, so I don't judge people for eating meat." Gordan says it would be more effective if the protests encouraged the health benefits instead of posing naked in the cold.

PETA will be in Phoenix on Monday, but will their efforts encourage this "Red State" to change its ways?